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Friday, October 4, 2013

California Bicycle Coalition: Three Feet For Safety Act Passes

I hate to be a lazy blogger, and I hate to post, verbatim, another blog, but in this case, I'm going to suggest that getting the word out is more important. A few weeks ago there was a petition to ask Governor Jerry Brown to sign "The Three Feet For Safety Act." The law mandates that vehicles give bikes 3 feet of distance for passing. The law was signed and passed, though it doesn't go into effect until September 16, 2014. You can read another interesting blog post about the law here. Good, thoughtful drivers will start observing the law immediately.Three Feet for Safety Act Hailed by Media; Bicyclists
The passage of the Three Feet for Safety Act on Monday September 23rd
was cheered by bicyclists across California. In the past week, the media
has also been supportive.The Los Angeles Times‘s
Robert Greene called the legislation a “Victory for California
cyclists”. In his column, he recounts the many setbacks that the
legislation suffered before Governor Jerry Brown finally put the ink on
paper and adds:
“Getting the law on the books has been a top priority for cycling
advocates in California. Cycling has long been part of the civic culture
in most large cities here, but in numbers that left pro-bike policy a
poor cousin when compared with car-oriented laws and regulations — until
the last five or six years. The state is beginning to catch up with the
rebirth of cycling around the nation.”
Olivia Hubert Allen’s column in KQED News
ran with the forceful headline: “Give California Cyclists 3 Feet–It’s
Now the Law”. It largely mirrors the LA Times column. So does the column
on it in KTLA 5 by Melissa Pamer.
Pamer adds:
“In recent years, enthusiasm for cycling in L.A. has been buoyed by
the support of a growing activist community and that of politicians such
at former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The city in 2010 launched a “Give
Me 3″ graphic campaign encouraging drivers to create a safe cushion
between vehicles and bicyclists.Bicycle Times‘s
Adam Newman hailed the new law and showed optimism: “A $35 fine seems
pretty petty, but it can be raised to $220 if a.) a collision occurs,
b.) the cyclist is injured and c.) the driver is found to be in
violation of the statute. Somehow that doesn’t seem like much of a
penalty for breaking the law and hitting someone, but I guess a weak law
is better than no law.”
Finally, Emily Baker, a California bicyclist, had this to say in response to the law’s passage:
“It’s a shame that there are kits available to buy for cyclists
asking not to be killed. While the new law is a step in the right
direction, there needs to be a lot more to educate cyclists and
motorists and save lives.”

Our executive director, Dave Snyder responds: “That’s why we’re
working with AAA and the Better World Club to educate their motorist
members about the new law. We’re also working to make sure that the
state’s new “Active Transportation Program” preserves funding for
education as well as infrastructure to educate everyone about safe
sharing of the roads.”